


Winter Strawberry

by marizousbooty



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Romance, First Meetings, ITS SUPER LATE OPPS, M/M, just cute christmas stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 21:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3397610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marizousbooty/pseuds/marizousbooty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something bright, beautiful, and unexpected comes to brighten up Rei's usually rather dull Holiday season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Strawberry

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is Mari and I'm coming at you with my first fanfiction that I've ever posted!! Amazing right?? Anyway I started this back around Christmas but I started to feel a little down for awhile and couldn't get the motivation to come back and finish it up until now! So I know it's not Christmas anymore but I hope you like it lots anyway!! 
> 
> I wrote it based on the song Merry Christmas (メリークリスマス) by Ninomiya Kazunari from the band Arashi! Some of the lines are very similar to the lyrics so if you can please give it a listen either before or after reading!----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40cqiGXt6gc
> 
> Special thanks to my bros Emizou and Bridget for reading it over and making corrections!

The city is painted quite nicely in red, white and green. The holiday lights illuminate the shop windows as I step lightly through the thin layer of snow fallen on the ground. The city is bustling with shoppers trying to make the most of their last couple days before Christmas. Snow continues to fall in light frequent flurries as I walk, landing lightly on my navy coat and red tinged nose. My scarf is wrapped tightly around my neck covering my mouth, and I silently examine the festive shop windows I pass from behind my red rimmed glasses. The town is breathtaking and I would love nothing more than to stand for a moment and take it in, but I have no choice but to keep walking or I’ll be late for my shift, which would be quite irresponsible. The town is truly very beautiful, but to be completely honest, I have never entirely understood the excitement behind this holiday. No matter how many times I have gone over it in my mind it doesn’t make sense to me. Fooling children into believing in a fictional man and going through such effort to keep the spirit of the holiday alive seems somewhat trivial and a waste of energy. So honestly, I have never ever really been much into the Christmas spirit.

Before I know it I’ve reached my destination. The small front of the store I work at stands in front of me waiting for me to enter and begin my shift. The store is fairly modest, it mostly sells interesting knickknacks that--if I were to be honest--aren’t of much use to anyone. But they are appealing and someone has to buy them. Right now, the small store is in the spirit of the holidays and most of the merchandise is holiday themed. I go inside and head straight to the back employee room. I go over to the employee papers and find my name, Ryugazaki Rei. I mark down the time and turn to walk to the next room attached to this one. My face falls into a slight frown when I spot the Santa suit hanging there. After making a polite greeting to my boss, I walk over to it slowly and unceremoniously pull it on. I then walk back out into the store, crossing the shelves of trinkets until I’ve reached the door again and step outside into the cold. I stand there trying my best not to frown too much. Dressing in a Santa suit and standing in front of a cheesy little gift shop is certainly not very beautiful. I am utterly humiliated. But I remind myself that this was the only job I could find at the moment and that I need to suck it up if I didn’t want to be broke on Christmas. So I stand there in my suit trying my hardest to look jolly.

Next to our store is a small bakery. It sells mostly cakes and right now there are several festive holiday designs in the window tempting customers inside. I’ve never really been one for sweets so I’ve never really paid much attention to the small store but today something--should I say someone--catches my eye in the window. A young boy, maybe around my own age is fiddling with the cakes in the window. He shifts them to the side making room and then adds a new cake to sit with the others. I think for a moment how plain it looks compared to the others but then he pulls a bag of icing out from behind his back somewhere and begins adding captivating swirls and endearing little puffs of frosting. He is very concentrated on his work and doesn’t see me watching him. When he’s finished he reaches behind his back a second time, coming up with a small figure Santa and sets it gently on the top of the cake next to the sweet strawberries and chocolate sign. Satisfied, he steps back to admire his work. It is then when he looks up a bit further and sees me, realizing that I had been watching him. He makes eye contact with me for a moment before his lips spread into a wide smile. It’s one of the most captivating and beautiful smiles I have ever seen and I can feel my face heat as I give an awkward smile back and look off to the side. I expect him to go back to his work then but what he does is quite the opposite. He walks to the glass door of the small bakery and pushes it open, stepping out onto the street and triggering a light jingle to drift through the air from the bells on the door. He stands there and turns to me cheerfully the same smile still in place.

“Hello! It sure is a nice night out tonight huh?” He asks. I nod stiffly in return because in truth I am not always the best at talking to strangers, especially not strangers with smiles so warm they could most likely melt ice.

“Christmas time has always been one of my favorite times of year! It’s so cheerful and pretty and exciting.” He pauses and takes a step closer to me and I notice for a second how his blond hair shines in the golden light from the bakery, small snowflakes landing and dusting it here and there. "You look a little cold, you're standing so stiffly. I could sneak you a bit of hot chocolate if you'd like." He ends his sentence with a slight chuckle and I think at the back of my mind it sounds cute despite of myself.

“No, thank you for asking but I am quite alright.” His eyes are a bright pink color; it’s a similar shade to magenta but a bit more reddish. They shimmer and sparkle when he smiles, looking intensely at me like I’m the most interesting thing he’s seen for a while, but honestly, I get the feeling he looks at most things that way. A quiet moment passes between us for a second and I realize he’s the one that must be cold, standing out here in only a sweater and a bakers apron on, and just as I’m wondering why he hasn’t gone inside yet he opens his mouth again.

“My name’s Nagisa, what’s yours?” He asks me, and I think it’s strange that he says only his first name when we’ve only just met.

“Ryugazaki Rei…” I reply; I don’t look him in the eye.

“I like it, it’s pretty! It’s a girly sounding name just like mine!” He giggles and gives another smile at 100% charm. I am vaguely annoyed by the girly name comment but I don’t give it much thought. I realize that there are many Santas just like me in front of shops and walking about between stores. There’s a station just down the street and I can hear the rumble of the train going by and see the people coming off the trains pass us by. In the midst of all these people, I’m glad that I am able to talk to this particular person like this.

“When does your shift end? Mine ends at 9:00, so I’m stuck here for another hour or so.” He looked a bit annoyed for a minute, but it soon disappeared leaving his shining smile in place again.

“Oh, mine ends at the same time.” I say, delightfully surprised. I’m slightly alarmed that I am so pleased, we’ve only just met but I find myself so attracted to his aura. It’s alarming but I realize I’m also excited.

“Oh really? That’s a funny coincidence! That means you’re stuck here for another hour just like me!” I give another awkward smile at his words. It’s absolutely freezing, but I realize in that moment that I’d rather stay here, out in the cold, if it means I get to hold on to this moment a little longer.

So when we here a faint voice from inside the bakery calling for Nagisa, my heart drops slightly in disappointment.

“OH!” He glances back into the bakery. “I better get back to work huh?” He turns back to look at me, smiling sheepishly at me. It’s rather selfish of me to want him to stay as much as I do because I can see him shivering violently now and it’s clear he needs to getinside and back to work. So when he gives me a slight wave of his hand and moves to go back into the shop I make no arguments. I only give a small wave in return and try for one last awkward smile as his blond head disappears back into the warm depths of the bakery shop.

The rest of my shift goes by uneventfully. I stand out in the cold for a while longer greeting customers and trying to draw people into the shop. The only difference is that now I punctuate every few minutes of being out here with a hopeful glance at the inviting bakery windows. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but I don’t catch a glimpse of him again until my shift ends and I’m getting ready to head home. I’ve taken off my suit and marked down my hours and I’m just walking out into the street when I see him. He’s standing outside the bakery, eyes looking off somewhere at something I can’t see. His apron is gone now, replaced with a yellow winter jacket and pink scarf. When he hears the door of my shop open and me step outside he turns towards me and smiles and I almost get the feeling that he was waiting for me. But I brush this thought away as soon as it comes. What reason would he have to wait for a stranger?

“Heading home?” He asks, his face glowing.

“I am…” I glance at the ground, getting a bit shy out of nowhere again.

“Ah me too! I’m so happy I finally get to go home and rest!”

“Which way are you headed?” I ask. I hear my own voice and surprise myself. I don’t know why it matters to me where he’s going but the question slips through my mouth before I can stop it.

“I’m heading down to the station,” He replies happily, “I live only a couple stops away.”

“Oh, I’m going in the same direction!” I can’t believe this incredible coincidence, and try as I might I am not able to keep the delight out of my voice. It’s such a mundane thing yet I think to myself that it must be some sort of miracle. It’s a silly thought and I try not to hold it for long.

“Wow really? Let’s walk down there together then!” He smiles wider still and turns in the direction of the station. He looks over his shoulder expectantly at me waiting for me to follow. I start walking and come up next to him. We walk side by side down the street. We don’t talk too much except the occasional “The snow looks really pretty tonight” or “Wow it’s really cold”. We make it to the station much too quickly and I can feel the edges of a goodbye on his lips when we’re waiting for the train. But when the train comes we board the same one, standing side by side holding onto the handles from the ceiling swaying to the movement of the train car.

The train ride also passes mostly in silence. The train is filled with many tired people, returning from work to go to their homes. Any noises made are mostly absorbed by the constant rushing and clacking of the train on its tracks. The atmosphere is surprisingly peaceful though, and I watch the soft glow of holiday lights whizz past outside the window. Few words pass between us before the train rolls to a halt at my stop. But miraculously when I begin to shuffle around in an attempt to arrange my things so does he, and we walk out onto the snow dusted platform together, his feet only a step or two ahead of my own. We walk out of the station like that. Then he turns to look at me, the expression on his face looks as surprised as I feel and I think again that this must be some sort of miracle.

“You headed the same way?” He asks, pointing down the street in front of him. His cheeks are lightly flushed from the cold and his lips are pleasantly pink. The happy glow on his face from his surprise raises a warm feeling within me and I’m smiling before I realize it.

“Yes my home is only a few blocks from the station…” I reply, my voice is rather quiet and I find myself unable to gather more than a few words.

“Oh really?! Wow this sure seems like fate huh?” He says, then giggles and the sound flutters through my body like an entire flock of butterflies. It’s a light but genuine sound and it’s so pleasant and pure that it takes me off guard for a moment at its beauty. I give a hesitant smile in reply and then we are walking again, now side by side, shoulders close but not quite brushing up against each other.

As we walk he babbles on about this and that. The comfortable silence that surrounded us in the train is now gone and the still air is filled with the light hum of his voice, animated and cheerful, trying to engage me in whatever story or odd topic he has now focused on. He talks quite a lot, only stopping now and then waiting for a small reaction or quick answer from me. We pass many small shops and windows as we continue walking, many of which are draped in festive holiday lights and delicate garland. The occasional reef is hung here and there on some doors and windows and the displays within the stores are similarly in the spirit of the season. We are alone walking alongside the street, most of the stores are closed and few cars disturb the flurry of snow still falling onto the street.

As I gaze at the festive garb around me I realize that this is truly the first time I was ever aware of such a beautiful season. The soft lights mix with the light hum of his voice and I find myself slipping into a peaceful contentedness the likes of which I had never quite experienced before. I never want it to end, I want to stay surrounded in this moment forever. Then suddenly I feel a burning desire to be closer to him, to shrink the distance between us. I don’t mean just trivially sliding into a closer proximity on the sidewalk or brushing hands as we walk next to each other, no, I want to hear the flutter of his voice all the time. I want the cheerful aura and the way he just seems to radiate energy. I don’t want to just let this person go and have them slither away from me off into the crowded world, never seeing them again. So I walk with him, wondering if there was anything I could do to prevent this, shrink the distance, and despite how foolish and childish it sounds, somewhere in the back of my head I think maybe that’s what I will wish for this year. I think… that’s what I’ll wish for this year…

* * *

 

I show up for work the same way the next day. Leaving a light trail of foot prints on the thin layer of snow left over from the night before as I steadily make my way from the station to the modest souvenir shop where I worked. It isn’t snowing now, but the weather report had said that snow should be expected to fall later tonight. I enter the shop retracing the steps I take almost every day and end up in the employee room in the back to retrieve my costume, making sure to mark down my time of arrival as usual. I pull on the costume like always, as unceremoniously as ever, and go back out to the front of the store to stand in the cold.

I chance a hopeful glance towards the warm light of the bakery next door, but I see no sign of light blond curls or sparkling ruby eyes that graced its windows the day before. The two of us had walked together last night until we reached the place where we discovered we each had to take separate ways to return to our homes and then had said cheerful goodbyes, but I had not managed to obtain any means of contact with him. Now the only thing I can do is watch the bakery, searching intently for any flash of his bright features or the melody of his musical laugh. But the odds of finding him are slim and I know it. I know nothing about the times of his schedule or shifts and even my own shift had started at an earlier time than did yesterday. So I stand in the cold alone hoping desperately for a Christmas miracle.

As the day wears on the streets fill with more and more people. It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is rushing to make their last few purchases. I continue to stand near the store’s entrance, sometimes holding signs advertising the store and it’s sales, and sometimes greeting customers with a polite ‘hello’ or ‘happy holidays’. My hunt for a certain quirky blond haired boy, due the rush and bustle of shoppers making their way through the streets, just about slips my mind, and the sun has mostly set by the time I remember it again. Snow has started falling lightly once again, sure to pick up speed later and I am standing outside my store just waiting for the last agonizing hour of my shift to creep to its end. Then I hear the familiar tingle of the bakery door ringing from behind me. Now I had heard it many times that day, and had turned my head quickly each time only to be met with disappointment. This time however, I turn and the sight that meets my eyes is filled with shining curls and sparkling pink eyes. I stare in delighted shock, more joyful than I would like to honestly admit at seeing his face again. I hold my breath watching him as he walks out of the store wearing his coat and scarf he had worn the day before, waiting to see if he’ll notice me standing there. But his mind seems to be on other things and he walks straight past me and out into the busy street.

I then realize keeping quiet had been a horrible mistake, judging on his lack of apron, his shift had most likely ended and he was now heading home for a long needed rest. I had pretty much just lost any chance to talk to him now before Christmas and if my luck is as bad as I think it is, possibly forever. Who knew if he would continue his work there after the holidays? Who knew when I would ever see him again? Admittedly these are some rather extreme thoughts, considering the places we worked were as close as they were, but I’d never been one to be a best-case-scenario thinker. So I make a split second decision, and I take off, walking as fast as I can manage through the crowd on the street. By this point his blond curls are what seems like miles ahead, with an entire sea of people separating me and him. I push through the crowd in a daze, only thinking of how much I want to see his wonderful smile. An act like this is rather unusual for me, chasing a mundane wish like this one so desperately, fully knowing I could lose my job if I am caught, yet still I just can’t let it end like this. I can’t let this distance stay like this.

“Nagisa-kun!” I finally make it close enough to him and call his name. He turns around quickly, a surprised look decorating his pink cheeks, but his eyes sparkle and his pink lips soon melt into a wide smile. He giggles that wonderful giggle that makes my heart flutter and my face redden. I stop and bend over, supporting myself with my hands on my knees to properly catch my breath.

“In all this white snow, you kind of look like the strawberry on a cake” He says, and his giggle is turned into a genuine bubbly laugh. I lose my words for a moment and all I can do is watch him in fascination, and I realize, that I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as him.

I catch my breath look up to face him with a bright smile, and I say, in the most sincere voice I can manage,

“Merry Christmas!”

**Author's Note:**

> Now I thank you for reading my story!! Since this is my first work I am posting here I'm very excited to share it and any feedback and whatever else is much appreciated!!  
> Don't worry! Reichan was able to get his number in the end so he could keep in contact! hehe  
> Haha once again I based the idea and a handful of the lines from this story from Nino's song Merry Christmas. As you can see the line “In all this white snow, you kind of look like the strawberry on a cake” is taken from it pretty much exactly! I looked at the translated lyrics from here-->( http://yarukizero.livejournal.com/179259.html ) to help me out while I was writing.
> 
> Now if you wanna talk to me hit me up on my tumblr, I'm mari-monsta and I do lame doodles!! Thank you for checking this out!!


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